Cave Pavilion
From Earth, Into EarthRammed Earth Pavilion
Chuan Zi He, China
Rammed Earth Pavilion Competition, shortlisted
Supervisor: Prof. Alessio Dionigi Battistella, Francesca Zanotto
A.Y. 2022/2023, Politecnico di Milano
In collaboration with Yuanyuan Yang
A New Way of Earth Construction
Cave of Earth is a rammed earth pavilion excavated from earth-made formwork.
The pavilion is on the Loess Plateau, a semi-arid area in northern China suffering the scarcity of timber resource but rich in a particular soil: loess. Loess can be a substitute for wooden formwork in the rammed earth building construction. The vernicular residence, YAODONG, are built through the excavating into the loess, and the rest of the earth will be used for local agri-culture. In the pavilion, however, the loess that could be wasted also composes the main part of the building material, which is the mixture for rammed earth.
Site Analysis
Study Model of Structural Concept
Plan
Section
Render of Interior View